plummet
Americannoun
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Also called plumb bob. a piece of lead or some other weight attached to a line, used for determining perpendicularity, for sounding, etc.; the bob of a plumb line.
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something that weighs down or depresses.
verb (used without object)
verb
noun
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another word for plumb bob
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a lead plumb used by anglers to determine the depth of water
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of plummet
1350–1400; (noun) Middle English plommet < Middle French, diminutive of plomb lead; (v.) derivative of the noun See plumb, -et
Explanation
The verb plummet means "to drop sharply," like eagles that plummet toward earth, seeking prey, or school attendance that plummets when there is a flu outbreak. To correctly pronounce plummet, say "PLUH-met." This verb describes something that drops sharply or quickly, like a roller coaster that plummets down a hill, temperatures that plummet overnight, or sales of roses and candy that plummet after Valentine's Day. If something plummets, this doesn't mean it will stay down or low forever, just that it has experienced a sharp drop.
Vocabulary lists containing plummet
List 8
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The Lightning Thief
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The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Appeared in the October 2, 2025, print edition as 'Private-Sector Jobs Plummet'.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 1, 2025
Bloomberg put it this way: “Bankman-Fried’s Assets Plummet From $16 Billion to Zero in Days.”
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 14, 2022
He was a part of the pub rock band Plummet Airlines and The Favourites before he began playing bass in The Pogues in 1986.
From BBC • Aug. 9, 2022
"I was part of an artist-run space called Plummet, situated on the 16th floor of a council block off City Road," she said.
From BBC • Jun. 1, 2018
His fingers lost their hold—he dropped like a Plummet.
From The Air Trust by England, George Allan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
